Athletic gloves of various types are widely used in sports to improve performance. In sports such as baseball and softball, players typically wear a glove on the non-throwing hand for catching fly balls, throws, and line drives and for fielding ground balls. Gloves are typically made of a durable exterior shell such as leather, an interior liner, and one or more middle layers. Middle layers are conventionally made of felt or leather and provide cushioning, support, and rigidity to the glove.
Leather gloves are conventionally shaped to a player's preference during the “breaking in” process in which softening substances are applied to the leather. The glove may then be bound or otherwise held in a desired position. After a certain amount of time has elapsed, the glove will dry and take on the desired shape. As the name implies, breaking in a glove adversely affects the structural integrity of the glove. The integrity of the glove, and especially the exterior shell, is also adversely affected by repeated opening and closing of the glove and impacts from caught or fielded balls during normal use. The forces applied to the glove during the breaking-in process or during normal use reduce the structural integrity of the glove by, among other things, causing the layers of the glove to stretch. Continued application of forces that cause the glove layers to stretch and break down eventually requires the glove to be replaced.